TCM in May: Highlights

It's time for a close look at the May schedule for Turner Classic Movies!

William Powell is the May Star of the Month. Over 40 Powell films will be shown spread across Wednesday evenings beginning on May 3rd.

Powell was previously the Star of the Month in February 1999 and December 2011.

I'll have a Star of the Month article with the Powell schedule and review links posted here on the 3rd.  (Update: Please visit TCM Star of the Month: William Powell.)

After a two-month absence, Noir Alley returns in May! This month's titles will be THE FILE ON THELMA JORDON (1949) on May 6th and 7th, FLAMINGO ROAD (1949) on May 13th-14th, DIAL 1119 (1950) on the 20th and 21st, and THE FALLEN SPARROW (1943) on May 27th and 28th.

My favorite of these titles is FLAMINGO ROAD, but the other films I've seen are worthwhile as well. THE FALLEN SPARROW stars John Garfield and three favorite ladies: Patricia Morison (seen here), Maureen O'Hara, and Martha O'Driscoll.

The TCM Spotlight focuses on the weather every Thursday, and the Special Theme on Mondays is cinematographer James Wong Howe.

Other special events this month include a memorial tribute to Gina Lollobrigida the evening of May 2nd; a short Spotlight series on Hometowns on May 12th and 19th; and the annual Memorial Day Weekend marathon May 26th-29th.

Here are a number of additional highlights from this month's TCM schedule. Please click any hyperlinked title to read my review.

...The tribute to cinematographerJames Wong Howe begins on May 1st and continues into May 2nd, with Tuesday's titles including the very enjoyable DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS (1939), starring the Lane Sisters and the rest of the cast from the FOUR DAUGHTERS series in a completely new story.

...Later on the 2nd, TCM's memorial tribute to Gina Lollobrigida includes the amusing comedy COME SEPTEMBER (1961), costarring Rock Hudson, Sandra Dee, and Bobby Darin.

...I'm enthused about TCM's creatively themed "weather" series, which kicks off on May 4th with a "Stormy Weather" theme. Titles include THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) and KEY LARGO (1948). I'm especially excited TCM is showing John Ford's THE HURRICANE (1937) which I haven't seen in many years and is hard to find on DVD. I'd like to revisit it after having seen star John Hall in the movies he made with Maria Montez.

...THE WIZARD OF OZ shows up again in the May 5th lineup, which is devoted to films set in Kansas. I particularly recommend Jacques Tourneur's excellent WICHITA (1955), with Joel McCrea as Wyatt Earp.

...This month the Bonita Granville Nancy Drew movies will be featured on Saturday mornings, starting with NANCY DREW...DETECTIVE (1938) on May 6th.

...TCM celebrates the centennial of Anne Baxter on May 7th with a double feature of ALL ABOUT EVE (1950), seen at left, and THE BLUE GARDENIA (1953).

...TCM features five films directed by Preston Sturges on May 9th. They're all good or great; my favorite is THE PALM BEACH STORY (1942), which never fails to make me laugh. Joel McCrea and Claudette Colbert star, with great support from Rudy Vallee and Mary Astor.

...Fred Astaire was born May 10, 1899. TCM honors the dancing great on his birthday with a lineup weighted towards some of his relatively lesser-seen films. My favorite of the day is CAREFREE (1938), a screwball comedy opposite his frequent costar Ginger Rogers. Then stick around for THE BELLE OF NEW YORK (1952), a colorful confection costarring Vera-Ellen.

...On May 11th the second night of weather-related films includes THE RAINS CAME (1939) with Tyrone Power, Myrna Loy, and George Brent starring.

...The British Gainsborough melodrama MADONNA OF THE SEVEN MOONS (1945) has its TCM debut on May 12th. Stewart Granger, Phyllis Calvert, and Patricia Roc star.

...Later on the 12th, the "Hometowns" series features THE HUMAN COMEDY (1943), which is superb MGM Americana. This film deserves to be much more widely seen. Mickey Rooney heads a deep cast.

...Another British film will be featured on May 13th, when the Musical Matinee series showcases IT'S LOVE AGAIN (1936), starring Jessie Matthews and Robert Young. Of note: This was one of a couple British films Young made released in 1936, the other being Hitchcock's SECRET AGENT (1936).

...Mother's Day on the 14th includes I REMEMBER MAMA (1948) and MILDRED PIERCE (1945).

...A day of films about problematic marriages on May 15th includes CAT PEOPLE (1942). Definitely fits!

...The lineup of movies filmed by James Wong Howe showing on May 15th includes the superb SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957) starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. The gleaming black and white cinematography is stunning.  The movie will also run on May 30th as part of a tribute to screenwriter Ernest Lehman.

...Audrey Totter stars in eight films on May 16th, including a favorite of mine, HIGH WALL (1947), costarring Robert Taylor.

...The MGM musical SUMMER HOLIDAY (1948) will be shown on May 20th. This remake of AH, WILDERNESS! (1935) stars Mickey Rooney, Walter Huston, and Gloria DeHaven, directed by Rouben Mamoulian. The film doesn't entirely work, but it's visually sumptuous and has a deep cast.

...Stanley Donen's CHARADE (1963) will be shown on Saturday, May 21st. Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn star. And later that night, be sure to catch the lineup of Harold Lloyd shorts!

...Ann-Margret guest hosts on May 23rd. The films she's showing include my favorite of her films, VIVA LAS VEGAS (1964) with Elvis Presley. She's dynamite in it.

...The "weather" lineup on May 25th includes Kurosawa's crime thriller STRAY DOG (1949), set during a heat wave.

...The Memorial Day Weekend marathon includes perhaps the greatest of all World War II films, John Ford's THEY WERE EXPENDABLE (1945), on May 26th.

...A birthday tribute to director Howard Hawks on May 30th includes the always-delightful THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951), starring Kenneth Tobey and Margaret Sheridan. I'm not sure it's possible to see it too many times.

...The month wraps up with a lineup of films set in Texas on the 31st. I'm quite fond of COW COUNTRY (1953), a Western starring Edmond O'Brien.

For more on TCM in May 2023, please visit my posts Quick Preview of TCM in May and TCM Star of the Month: William Powell. along with the online schedule.

Happy May movie watching!

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